


Oranges and Lemons

by luna_weasley



Category: Lost
Genre: Light Angst, slight AU: Juliet lives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:21:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26976529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luna_weasley/pseuds/luna_weasley
Summary: When Oceanic Flight 815 crashed, James Ford had a daughter, over a year old, who he had never met. Now, three years later, he's free, and he intends to change thatSlight AU: Juliet survived Season 6, because damn did she deserve better
Relationships: James "Sawyer" Ford & Clementine Phillips, Juliet Burke/James "Sawyer" Ford
Comments: 5
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

### March 16th, 1975

Sawyer had always prided himself on his ability to talk himself out of a corner. With the life he had led, lying had become second nature, and being able to quickly respond to new stimuli was often the difference between freedom and incarceration, or worse. Even now, he was lying to an entire complex of, apparently, the smartest minds America had to offer, and he was doing it with ease. As easily as changing clothes, he had taken off the name 'Sawyer', and replaced it with 'Jim LaFleur'. And he was repeating it so many times, he thought he was even starting to convince his friends - Miles called him LaFleur without thinking, and even Jin was shortening the pause before addressing him with every passing day

So, why was it so different with Juliet?

He paced up and down the lounge, thinking. He needed to tell her, that much was obvious, but how exactly do you slip "I have a daughter I haven't told anyone about" into a casual conversation? The answer is, obviously, you _don't_ ; that's exactly why he _hadn't_ told anyone. Before Kate, at least

But Juliet was different. First off, there was every chance that she already knew - she had known about him killing Frank Duckett, after all, and he'd made that _impossible_ to trace. Second, they were… well, he wasn't quite sure. A few months ago, the idea of them being friends would have been laughable. But, of course, a few months ago the idea of time travel would have been laughable as well. They had grown closer since joining the Dharma Initiative's little science party. They were easily the best liars in the group - Jin and Miles were passable, but Daniel had been so bad they'd needed to get him shipped back to the mainland with the other nut jobs (ironically enough, the scientists were the ones who had asked the _least_ questions) - and as a result they'd spent countless hours when they first arrived alone, ironing out the wrinkles in their story

So, he would have been quite content with calling them friends. But then, he had to have gone and kissed her, didn't he? Of _course_ \- he _really_ should have learned to lay off alcohol at parties by this point, but apparently not. But instead of being disgusted, she had kissed back. And he had enjoyed it. A lot. And it hadn't been their last kiss, not by a long shot. So they couldn't be friends, exactly - James got the feeling that most friends didn't shove each other up against the nearest wall whenever they were looking particularly sexy in their blue jumpsuit and goggles

So, what exactly did that make them? He was fairly positive they weren't dating, not that he'd actually dated enough people to be sure. He knew they were gonna need to talk about it at some point. He and Kate had never really talked properly, and it had destroyed whatever it was they had had. But that could wait - he wouldn't let her choose him without first knowing about his biggest mistake

He heard footsteps, and glanced up just in time to see her silhouette in the window. _Shit_ . He quickly scanned the room for a book, or something else that would help him look natural. He came up short. God _damn_ Juliet and her amazing organisational skills!

Which is why, about five seconds later, one Juliet Burke came into her house to find one James Ford standing in the center of her lounge, his hands behind his back, grinning sheepishly at her  
"...Hi" she said slowly  
"Hi"  
She didn't look particularly phased. But then again, she _never_ looked particularly phased  
"You just got off your shift?" he asked  
"Yup" she said breezily "Randzinsky's van broke down half way from The Flame, so we had to go out and- are you alright?" she frowned "You look like a kid who's just broken their mom's favourite plate. Something wrong?"  
"I uh, well… yes, actually. Sorta" he grimaced "Can we talk?"

She sat down on a couch. He followed  
"So, um…"  
He scratched the back of his head. He had really hoped that he would have thought of what to say at this point  
"So… you know when you were still with Ben Linus and his band of merry men?"  
Juliet's face closed off. He knew that, living with the Others, she had to learn to close off her emotions in order to survive, but he still hated seeing it. He wasn't sure why, but he wanted her to feel able to share how she was feeling with him  
"Uh huh" she nodded  
"You know how y'all had files on all of us?"  
"Uh huh" she nodded again  
"I assume there was one on me?"  
"Of course"  
"Was it…" he felt his face starting to heat up "Was it just about me? Or associates too?"

Juliet considered him for a long while  
"Who are you really asking about, James?" she asked softly  
He swallowed "There was this… woman. Her name was Cassidy Phillips. What do you know about her?"  
Her expression was impossible to read. It was one of those things about her that infuriated him - reading people was literally _his thing!_ It frustrated him and it fascinated him, all at once

She thought for a second  
"I know Cassidy Philips is a woman thirty-two years of age, living in Albuquerque. I know that she was briefly married to a businessman, and she won six million dollars in the divorce. I know that, shortly after that, you and her dated for six months, ending when you conned her, taking all six million. I know she later pressed charges, but your prison sentence was reduced after you told government officers the location of a large sum of money another inmate had stolen from the treasury department"  
"How the hell do you- actually, don't answer that" he felt his stomach clench "Is that- is that all?"  
Juliet smiled quietly "No, James, it's not" she said "I know about eight months later, she gave birth to a girl named Clemantine. With you being registered as the child's father. And I know you know that, because you put the reward you received in prison in a bank account in Clemantine Phillips's name. A bank account you periodically deposited money into over the next year or so, before the crash"  
Sawyer stared at her "I told the bank guy to make sure no one ever found out who made that account" he sighed "I guess I should have warned them against all those omniscient tribes living on magic moving islands"  
"Yes, that does seem like an oversight on your part" she said lightly  
Despite himself, he laughed

"So, that's what you wanted to tell me?" Juliet asked "That you have a daughter?"  
Hearing her say those words out loud made his stomach swoop. Of all the things that had happened in his life, especially recently, that might be the thing he found the most absurd - that _he_ was a father  
"Yeah" he sighed, and buried his head in his hands "I figured you'd wanna know how much of a coward I am"  
"You're not a coward"  
"Ain't I?" he laughed bitterly "You know I was close, Jules. I was _so close_ to leaving the island. But I jumped. At the time, I figured I had the least to get back to, out of everyone on that chopper. But that's not true at all, is it? I had my- I had Clementine. And I abandoned her. _Again_ "

Juliet laid a hand on his arm. He jumped, but didn't pull back  
"You haven't abandoned her, James" she said, in her signature calming tones "You still believe Locke's coming back?"  
Sawyer nodded. He had to believe him, even if no one else seemed to at this point - he got the feeling no one tended to believe in him. He knew the feeling  
"Well then" she said with a small smile "Locke will come with some miraculous way to get us back to 2004, and you'll be able to get right back to her"  
He gave her a long look. Her attitude was pretty incredible really - over three years with the Others, and yet she was _still_ the hopeful one  
"You think so?"  
"I know so" she smiled "Of course, failing that, we could just age thirty years"  
Sawyer chuckled "And loose all my dashing good looks? That's a terrible plan"  
"I dunno" she cocked her head to the side "I think you'd be an attractive older gentleman. Quite the silver fox"  
Sawyer laughed. Juliet smiled

***

### July 24th, 1977

"You know, I can take him for a while" said Kate  
"Sure you can"  
Honestly, Ben was deceptively light. James got the feeling it was a mix between the blood he had lost and how under-fed he was. That was just one of the many things he wished he could help with. But they all figured Ben's father had a part in him becoming… well, Ben. So they couldn't help at all. If truth be told, he felt sorry for the kid. But at least they could do this one thing for him. At least they could save his life

They had come across a creek. Sawyer lay the kid down on the ground, while Kate refilled the water  
"You know" said Kate "his father said that you think Ben broke Sayid out"  
James sighed "A kid'll do almost anything if he's pissed off enough at his folks"  
"Is that why you asked me to take care of your daughter?"  
Sawyer whipped round. Kate was watching him intently. With everything that had happened over the past couple days, he had barely spared a passing thought to her. _God_ , he was a bad parent  
"Did you?" he asked  
"Of course I did"

She passed her a water bottle. It took him a few seconds to build up the courage to talk again  
"What's she like?" he asked  
"Clementine?"  
James felt an odd jumpy feeling in his stomach "Yeah" he said softly "Clementine"  
Kate grinned "Oh, she's beautiful. Looks just like you when she smiles. She's growing up fast. Already has a little attitude"  
James felt his eyes widen. She was just over a year old when he left for Sydney, and coupling that with the three years the doc said passed while they were gone… his daughter must be about four years old at this point. _Bloody hell_

He took a long breath, attempting to compose himself  
"I bet you and Cassidy had a lot to talk about" he said  
Kate hesitated a second before speaking "She had an interesting theory on why you jumped off the chopper"  
"Yeah, what's that?"  
"She thought you were worried about what would happen if you didn't"  
James looked at her for a long moment. He got the feeling that they weren't talking about Clemantine anymore. He took a deep breath  
"You and me would've never worked out, Kate" he admitted "I wasn't any more fit to be your boyfriend than I am to be that little girl's father"  
Kate raised an eyebrow "You seem to be doing all right with Juliet"  
He attempted to hide a smile "Yeah. I've done a lot of growing up the past three years-"  
"Hands up!"  
James looked up. To be honest, he was almost glad for the man pointing a gun at them, to bring _that_ particular conversation to a close

***

### December 8th 2007

They had landed in Guam, just as the plane had been scheduled to land at. Although, admittedly, there were considerably fewer passengers than intended. They had found a private airstrip to land at, and then scarpered before whoever owned the place discovered them

They had stayed a week. A couple of days after arriving, they had received word that Desmond had been returned to his family and that he and that Penny woman were coming to Guam to help. Thankfully, Desmond's wife was not only loaded, but also pretty damn intelligent, and through both of those things was able to reintegrate them all into society, almost as if they'd never left. James himself had come up with the majority of the cover stories, although Juliet had helped. And, just like that, instead of being in the plane crash, he had missed the flight and had to take the one the next day, while Juliet had spent the last six years at a research facility near Portland. They had Richard to back them up on that one

Which led to where they were now. Two helicopters sat side by side. Kate and Claire were to be taking the first to Australia, to find Claire's mother and Aaron. They had left first  
"We'll be seeing you guys soon" Kate said, giving him a hug  
"You're not staying down under, then?"  
"No" after taking a shower and changing her clothes, the change in Claire's appearance was pretty miraculous - it was almost like she had never gone Lord of the Flies "Kate says Aaron grew up in L.A., and I wouldn't want to take him away from his home"  
"Alright, then" he smiled weakly "I guess this is it, then"  
"Quite" Kate smiled "Bye, Sawyer"  
"Bye, Freckles"

Kate took Claire's hand, and together they got onto the first helicopter. Richard was flying them - he didn't have a plan yet, so he seemed to have volunteered just for something to do. The propellers started up, forcing him and Juliet to take a couple steps back. With a last wave, Kate and Claire disappeared into the air. James stared at the floor briefly. The last time Kate had flown off in a helicopter without him, he had torn himself apart wondering what would have happened had he been there. This time, he felt… nothing. Kate would be happy without him, he knew that. And he was fine with that. He didn't want her anymore. He hadn't for a long while

He turned to look at Juliet. She was wearing a similarly pensive look  
"You alright?"  
"Yeah. It's just…" she looked around them briefly "We've been here a week"  
"What, you think we should have gone sightseeing?"  
She scoffed " _No_ , James. I mean… it feels odd to be leaving this place so soon. I was on our last island for over six years"  
"Hmm" he smirked "And we haven't even saved the world once. Honestly, the people of Guam really missed out on that one"  
Juliet laughed "Well, should any reports come through on the news about smoke monsters-"  
"-we'll turn the television off"  
They shared a grin

Frank signalled that he was ready, and they both hopped in the back  
"You folks decided where you're heading?"  
James raised an eyebrow at Juliet, and shrugged. _Your call  
_ "Florida, please, Lapidus" Juliet called  
"Florida it is then"  
"Who's in Florida?" asked James "Your sister?"  
"Yeah" she smiled weakly "Or at least, she was. Best place to start looking, anyway"  
"Alright, boys and girls, prepare for take off" said Lapidus "Headsets on, and remember to keep you hands and feet inside the ride at all times"  
The propellers sprung to life, slowly at first, but soon becoming a blur. The machine lifted off the ground. James's stomach lurched. Juliet gripped his hand. Her eyes were wide  
"This is really happening" she breathed  
"Yeah" he smiled  
They were going home


	2. Chapter 2

### December 14th, 2007

_Hey Freckles,_ _  
_ _I know you're probably busy with Regan Macneil and her kid, but I was wondering if you could tell me where abouts Clemantine lives? I know she used to live in Albuquerque, but does she still now? I mean, I could find out myself, but I'd appreciate if you could at least point me in the right direction._ _  
_ _Thanks_ _  
_ _-James_

He paused briefly before pressing send. It was odd, seeing his name written out plainly like that. He had been Sawyer for so long, then LaFleur; he hadn't signed notes 'James' since he was a kid. He wondered briefly if Kate would even know who 'James' was… but no, he remembered now; she used to call him that when he'd pissed her off. He smiled briefly at the memory, before sending the email off

The bell above the door tinged. James glanced up, and smiled. It was Juliet, carrying two disposal cups  
"Hey partner"   
"Hey, yourself" Juliet passed him his coffee "Who are you emailing?"   
"Kate" he said "I was wondering about Cassidy"   
"Cassidy or…?"   
"Both of them" he sipped his drink "Rachel not here yet?"   
"No" she smiled lightly at her sister's name "She says Julian's school is running late"   
James looked outside, to the park on the other side of the road. It was where Juliet and her sister had planned on meeting up again. Not only was the playground a particular favourite of her nephew's, but it had the added benefit of an Internet cafe right next door, where James could look up just how much they'd missed   
"You sure you don't want to meet them both?" Juliet asked   
"Nah" he smiled wryly "Not this time. I wouldn't want to interrupt your sisterly bonding session"

Juliet chuckled. She sipped her coffee, her eyes flicking briefly to the screen  
"Kate's replied"   
James swung round   
"That was fast"   
He pulled up the reply, and stopped in his tracks. Not only had she given an area, she'd given an address. And not only had she given their home address, but she also gave detailed directions to Cassidy's work, Clementine's preschool, as well as favourite cafes, parks and shops. It was almost stalker-ish in its precision

James turned to look at Juliet. Her eyebrows were raised slightly, but aside from that she didn't look surprised; if indeed she was  
"Well then" she said "I guess we're going to New Mexico"   
And that was that

***

### January 5th, 2008

"I don't want it"  
"Kate sent you pictures, James, surely she thought it was alright-"   
"I don't care"   
"She's a beautiful kid" said Juliet, looking again at the pictures on her lap "Are you sure you don't want to see?"   
"Yes"   
"Why?"   
"Because-" James drummed his fingers on the car dashboard "Because it's not… fair. I don't want to just _know_ everything about her. I want to learn, by spending time with her" he glanced at her "You'd understand that, right?"   
"Yes, I would" Juliet put the photos in her bag "But she is a good looking kid. Takes after her father"   
Despite himself, James laughed

It was evening by the time they arrived. The plan had been to stay overnight, and see her tomorrow, but now they were here… he couldn’t. Juliet didn’t seem at all surprised when he asked to change route

She parked outside the address Kate had given. The house his daughter lived in looked remarkably… normal. A two-storey, detached house in the suburbs. Completely unassuming. You’d never know that the woman who owned the house had once been conned out of $600,000. But then, maybe that was the point  
“Nice place” said Juliet lightly “You want me to come in with you?”   
He _really_ didn’t want to be by himself in this, but… “No” he said quietly “I should do this alone”   
She nodded “I’ll wait at the hotel, then?   
“Hmm” he nodded   
He opened the car door, and paused. Juliet reached over and took his hand   
"You're not alone" she said softly, giving his hand a brief squeeze   
He smiled appreciatively, and got out of the car

The few steps from the vehicle to the house were some of the hardest of his life. His hand stopped inches away from the doorbell. He took a deep breath. _Come on, James, don't be a nancy_

The bell let out a soft _trill_ as he pressed it

“Just a moment!”  
James’s stomach clenched. He hadn’t thought that it would hurt, hearing her voice again. She had gotten him arrested. She had thrown him in prison. She had been completely justified in both, but it had still stung. And yet, thinking about her ached. He had Juliet now, and he would swap her for the world. But what he had had with Cassidy had been… good, too. More than good, actually. And as per usual, he had ruined it. There was no love between them anymore, he knew that

And all his suspicions were confirmed when she opened the door and saw him. She hardly looked different from the last time he’d seen her. Same shoulder-length hair, same dress sense. Same accusatory look in her eye. She folded her arms  
“Kate told me you’d show up eventually”   
“Oh” he suddenly found himself lost for words   
“I almost didn’t believe her”   
“Well…” he opened his arms “Here I am”   
Her mouth fixed into a hard line “Evidently. I assume you wanna come in?”   
“If that’s alright?”   
She scoffed “Sure. Whatever. Come in”

The door opened into her lounge. He followed her in. It was all in her style, with the organised chaos he assumed came with having a small child in the house. There weren't any pictures, but he could see gaps in displays - places where they should be. She had prepared for him arriving, then  
"You have a fella you don't want me knowing about or something?" he asked   
He mentally slapped himself the moment the words left his stupid mouth. The look Cassidy gave him was pure incredulity   
" _Flirting_ ? You can't _possibly_ be-" she rolled her eyes "What do you want, Sawyer?"   
He recoiled slightly at the acidity of her voice. Feeling like a complete moron, he muttered "I don't go by Sawyer anymore"   
"Oh? You killed him then?" he whipped him head up "Kate told me your little sob story. She seemed to think that if I knew you had your life ruined by a con man, I'd be more sympathetic to you doing the exact same thing to me" she scoffed "God knows why. For a fugitive, she can really be naïve sometimes. Always the romantic…" she smiled, and for a moment seemed to forget that he was there

"Uh…"  
"Yes" she seemed to snap back to reality "You killed him then?"   
He remembered the cold chain in his hand, the way Locke's father struggled as he choked the life out of him… _You wanna go to hell?..._ _  
_ "Yes" his voice came out hoarse   
"Oh, joy" she said dryly "So you're a killer now, on top of anything else?"   
_I was a killer anyway, sweetheart_. He wiped his hand on his jeans, as if Frank Duckett's blood was still there. _It'll come back around…_

"Yes" he said simply  
She took a long, drawn out breath "Okay, tell me what you want and get out. I've had a long day, and I want to go to sleep"   
James suspected that was only half a lie "It's…" he glanced briefly upstairs   
Cassidy caught the look "Clementine?"   
"Yes"   
"What about her?"   
"I was-" he clenched and unclenched his fist a couple times "I was wondering if I could see her"   
She stared at him for a long while. After what seemed like an age, she reacted, in a way he most definitely wasn't expecting - she laughed   
"What, now?" she gestured to the clock on the wall "Did you really expect a four year old to be awake at ten?"   
"...no" he felt his face heat up

"My god, it could not be more obvious that you are not a father" she sobered up "Why?"  
" _Why?_ "   
"Why do you want to see her? You never have before" she frowned "Your latest target like kids or something?"   
"My latest- I don't have a target" he said "I'm not a conman anymore"   
"Bullshit" she made a derisive noise "That sort of thing doesn't wash out easy"   
"It seems to have with you"   
"Really?" she laughed mirthlessly "Sawyer, I'm a single mother with no qualifications. And yet I can afford this house" she gestured around her "how did you think I was paying the bills?"   
"You're a conwoman?" he felt like she'd punched him in the gut   
"Obviously" she folded her arms "Only small stuff. No long cons, nothing life shattering. Unlike you, I actually learned from my experiences with conmen"   
"I've learned too" he said, aware of how childish he sounded "I've changed. I'm better now"   
"I don't believe you" she shrugged "I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not. I threw you in prison, and you didn't reconsider your actions at all. You just do what you always do- you conned your way out of it" she scoffed at his expression "Did you really think I wouldn't realise that you were still supposed to be in jail when your plane crashed? God knows what you did, quite frankly I don't care"

"I've had plenty time to think" he retorted "As you just said, I _was_ in a plane crash-"   
"Yes, and you, very predictably, hoarded all the stuff for yourself" she smirked "Kate was very forthcoming about it all. She tried to persuade me that you got better, but… well, Kate's a smart woman, but so was I, and you still made me think you were good. I won't blame her for making the same mistake"   
"I-" he knew there was nothing he could say to change her mind. Not when she put it like that

"And the answer's no"  
James’s heart sank "No?"   
"You had a year, Sawyer, and you never contacted us. Contacted her. No letters, phone calls, nothing. You made it incredibly clear that you don't want to be a part of her life" she went over to the door "Did you seriously think you 'dying' in a plane crash would make me forget about what you did? I was happy when I heard the news. Happy. That way, at least I could tell her that her father was dead, rather than that he'd abandoned us. But now you've taken that from her too. Typical"   
"I _have_ changed-"   
"No, you haven't" she opened the door "I don't know what you want her for, but whatever it is, I don't want her to be a part of it"   
"I don't want to take Clementine, I just want to see her-"   
"Don't you say her name" she snapped "Goodbye, Sawyer"   
He found himself frozen to the spot   
" _Goodbye, Sawyer_ " she repeated poignantly "Or do you want me to call the cops?"   
He had no choice but to leave

***

It started to rain. Because _of course_ it did. In the dark, it took almost an hour for him to trudge to their hotel. Judging by the expression on the receptionist's face, he wasn't all too impressed by him tracking water into the carefully polished hallway   
"Can I help you, sir?" he asked, his voice awash with cool courtesy   
"Yes. Me and my…" he cocked his head. In this setting, _girlfriend_ sounded remarkably immature "...partner booked a room here, last night. It's in her name - Juliet Burke"   
The receptionist tapped a few key on his keyboard, and briefly scrolled down whatever list he had in front of him   
"...Ah, yes, here it is. Miss Burke checked in a couple hours ago" he glanced up "That makes you Mr… Ford?"   
"Yes"   
He looked _very_ surprised at that. James couldn't say he blamed him   
"Well then. Would you like a key to your room, sir?"   
"Yeah, that would be great, thanks"

He wasn't used to walking down hotel corridors without at least one companion in tow - normally some rich, leggy woman. His footsteps seemed very loud, despite the heavily carpeted floor. It made him feel the centre of attention, and completely alone all at once. It was odd. He didn't like it in the slightest

The door to their room squeaked softly as he opened it. The room was dark, so much so that he winced at the stream of light he brought in with him. He shut the door and turned to survey the room. _Well, when I say room…_ he smiled. Juliet was curled up in bed, almost completely hidden by covers, seemingly sound asleep

Unfortunately, she had left their trunk on the far side of the room. And he had never been particularly light on his feet. And one of the floorboards squeaked. He winced. The was a rustling noise from the bed  
"Shit" he breathed   
"Well hello to you too"   
James chuckled despite himself   
"I'm sorry, Jules, did I wake you?" It was a stupid question, but he didn't really care   
"Noooo" she mumbled sleepily "I'm perfectly awake, thank you very much"   
James chuckled "Okay"

He saw her silhouette shift, and a moment later she turned on a light. Her unbound hair tumbled down her bare shoulders, pooling on a pale blue vest. She looked beautiful. But then again, she always looked beautiful  
He sat down on the edge of the bed "Hey" he said softly   
"Hey, yourself" she sat up "You look wet"   
"Yeah, I jumped in a lake" he said lightly "Thought I'd make all the girls swoon when I came here"   
Juliet laughed. He felt her hands on him, and looked down to watch her begin to undo the buttons on his shirt. He hummed appreciatively

"How did it go? With Cassidy?" she asked  
He hung his head "Yeah…"   
"That bad, huh?" she finished with the buttons and slid the shirt off him, discarding it on the floor   
"You could say that"   
"Ah, well" she shuffled over so she was sat next to him "She'll come round"   
He rested his head on her shoulder "You know, I really don't think she will"   
"Oh?" she said "It's not like you to give up so soon"   
"I hurt her bad. She's not like to forget that" he sighed "She's too much like me for that"   
"You've changed"   
"I know. But why would she believe that? If she didn't believe Kate, why would she believe anyone else?"   
"Come on, James" said Juliet "were you imagining the two of them staying up all night, gossiping about you?"   
"Well, I wasn't, but now you said it I won't deny it's an appealing image-"   
She laughed "Kate thought you were gone. She had no reason to convince Cassidy. Now she does. We all do. And we're all going to"   
He smiled "Thank you"   
"You're welcome. Now, you really are wet"

James jerked his head off her shoulder "Sorry"  
"Don't worry about it" she pointed at a door, slightly ajar "There are towels in the bathroom, and I left your pyjamas on the back of that chair there"   
"Pyjamas? And here I was hoping that this-" he gestured to his bare chest "-was hinting at something"   
She chuckled "Maybe in the morning"   
"Oh? Well then, I'd better get to sleep quickly, huh"   
Juliet laughed. James smiled, and went to dry off

The towels were of a lot higher quality than he was used to in hotels, which was a pleasant surprise. He was drying off his hair when he heard a _ping_   
"What was that?" he called   
"My phone" there was more shuffling noises, then a pause "Oh, this will cheer you up"   
"Oh?"   
"It's from Kate" Juliet said brightly "She and Claire and Aaron are coming back to the states. And their first stop is Cassidy's"   
"Why?"   
"Apparently Aaron misses Clementine" Juliet read "she says the two of them are friends" there was a _snap_ as she shut the phone "So that's something"   
"I'm not using a child to further my own aims" he'd had enough of that a long time ago   
"I meant more about Kate coming back"   
"Oh" he bit his lip "that makes more sense, actually"   
She laughed

He got changed as quickly as he could, and got into bed, on his side. He felt Juliet lean over, and the lamp went out. In the dark, she wrapped her arms round him and pulled herself close. James shuffled closer, so her body pressed against his back  
"This is nice" he mumbled   
"Hmm" there was a pause, then "It's gonna be alright, you know?"   
He sighed "Sure"   
"No, I mean it" she pushed against his shoulder, and he let her turn him so they were facing "It's not like we're on a strict timetable or anything. We're gonna stay here as long as you need, okay?"   
"Okay" he reached out and cupped her cheek with his hand "I love you, Jules"   
She leaned into his palm "I love you too"   
Even in the dark, he could see her smile. He found sleep came much easier, after that

***

### January 7th, 2008

"Higher, mommy, higher!"  
James felt incredibly out of place here, in a child's play park. And a young child's play park at that. But that's where she said she'd be, so that's where he was

The kid noticed him before Kate did  
"Hewwo, mister"   
"Hey, gollum"   
He frowned "My name's Aaron"   
Kate smiled "Hi, James"   
"Hi yourself" he said "Where's Crocodile Dundee?"   
She laughed "I think your nicknames are getting worse the longer I know you"   
"Well, that's just part of my charm"   
She snorted "Claire's asleep at our hotel. Or at least, she was when I left"   
James glanced at his watch "At this time in the afternoon?"   
"She's having trouble sleeping" Kate frowned "having nightmares"   
"Aren't we all?" James said quietly   
"Yeah, but… it seems a lot worse for her" she sighed "she wakes up screaming most nights. She's scaring Aaron quite a lot, a think, but I don't want to say anything"   
Aaron smiled at the mention of his name, but he clearly was much more interested in his swing than what was being said

"Speaking of, how are they getting on?" he asked Kate, after making sure Aaron wasn't paying attention  
"Well… he’s gone from calling her 'new woman' to 'Claire' to 'other mommy', so it's a step in the right direction" she smiled wryly "I don't think he really understands who she is yet, or why she's here. He doesn't _dislike_ her though, so…" she shrugged   
"Better than nothing"   
"Exactly" she said "So, I heard you seeing Cassidy didn't go all too well?"   
Cassidy must have told her. _So much for not gossiping…_ _  
_ "Not exactly"   
"Well, she's stubborn, I'll give her that" said Kate "but she'll come round, I know she will. And it will be worth it when she does"   
"You're talking like you're the one who dated her here" he laughed   
Kate glanced at him. She didn't reply   
"Oh. _Oh_ "   
"It was more a fling, really" she waved her hand "Me and Jack had just split up, and she… it doesn't matter. It would have never lasted"   
"How come?"   
She smiled "What, a conman and a fugitive dating? Never would have worked"   
James rolled his eyes. Kate chuckled

“I’m gonna talk to her” she said “About letting you see Clementine”  
“You don’t need to-”   
“What, you’ve been staying here just because? _Nothing_ to do with seeing your daughter?” she smirked “Besides, it’s for her sake as much as yours”   
“Cassidy?”   
“Clementine”   
“What, letting her meet her deadbeat dad? Lucky kid”   
“ _Sawyer_ ” she nudged him “She overheard me talking to her mother a few months before I went back to the island. Since then she’s been insisting I tell her all kinds of stories about you. Don’t worry, I only told her the good stuff”   
James thought back to before he joined Dharma with Juliet. As far as he could recall, there hadn’t been all that much ‘good stuff’ to tell   
“You think you’ll be able to convince Cassidy?”   
“Maybe, maybe not” she shrugged “If not, I know where Clementine’s preschool is”   
She grinned wryly

“Why are you helping me so much?” James asked “Not that I’m not grateful, but surely you have enough to deal with without trying to clean up my shit too”  
Kate glanced at the ground. It was a while before she answered   
“I met her once, you know” she said quietly “Before”   
He frowned and shook his head, confused   
“Cassidy” she clarified “Before the crash”   
He stared at her “Really?”   
She nodded “Coincidence. I was on the run, and my truck broke down. When I was towed to the nearest gas station, there was this woman there, trying to sell counterfeit jewellery. I assume you taught her that?” he nodded, half in a daze “Anyway, one thing leads to another, and she’s agreeing to help me talk to my mother - I had parents issues”   
“Don’t we all?” James said darkly, and she laughed   
“Anyway, I asked why she’d be willing to help a total stranger, and she says ‘I fell in love with the wrong guy’, and she wants one of us to have something good. So, she helps, I talk to my mom, and I’m heading off. I offer to find the guy who conned him - beat him up. She tells me she’s pregnant. That it’s his, and she still loves him, despite everything. So… I tell her to get him locked up. Sorry about that" she gave him a tight lipped smile

"No, I deserved it" he said "But that doesn't quite explain-"  
"After I suggested calling the cops, she asked 'Will you ever forgive your mom for calling the cops?'" she said "Which kinda implies that, at least at the time, she was open to the idea of some kind of reconciliation. Maybe that's gone now, but in case it isn't, I'm gonna try. Because she helped me… and I want her to have something good, too"

Thankfully, he was spared from having to reply by Kate's phone buzzing. She pulled it out of her bag  
"Two messages" she said "Oh. You're gonna need to scarper- Cassidy says she'll be here soon"   
"Ah" he turned to leave   
"Hang on, the other's from Juliet, it might be for you"   
He paused. Slowly, a smile grew on Kate's face   
"What?"   
She grinned "Juliet's got a plan"


End file.
